My interest in all-things-tiny-and-old started at 12 years old when I became fascinated with a tiny abandoned farm house near my parent’s home...and I've been sketching floor plans ever since. My Tiny Houses are the culmination of a life spent dreaming of a tiny reclaimed space, all my own.

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Thursday, February 8, 2018

When I originally envisioned My Tiny Empty Nest, I decided
that since I wouldn’t really know where I’d be parking it; I wanted to design
it so it would be easy for a potential land owner to say “yes” when I asked for
them to host me. I may have mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating: By
design I only need a 20 amp circuit, a 110V extension cord, and a garden hose
to “run” my first tiny house and now….My Tiny Perch as well.

And HOW I do this is by using as many propane heating
appliances, as possible.

On demand hot water heaters are quite complex.

So, before I
go a moment further let me say:

Do NOT install one yourself!

There are some
things you can do to PREP for one but the installation itself involves water
AND electricity AND propane gas. Seriously. Things can go horribly wrong (KA
BOOM!) if not done by a professional.

WATER

I install all my own plumbing lines and fixtures. Sometimes
I have help and sometimes I don’t but in the end, the buck stops with me. I do
this because it’s a great way to save money and there is virtually NO risk of
injury or damage if I don’t do something correctly. I pressure test the lines
before I close the walls and if they leak (but they never have) I fix them.

Getting the water lines in is the easy part. Designing a
tiny house that will accommodate an externally mounted and vented hot water
heater, is the hard part. And, when I say “accommodate”, it means you have to
have enough gap space from the closest window opening and the eaves, and enough
wall space for the propane gas lines and the unit itself.

Behind the wall, inside the house, the cold water source line will pass through the wall.

I prefer externally vented hot water heaters because they
free up the interior space needed for this important appliance, and they
typically have a better service record and capacity than their smaller cousins
meant more for recreation than full time living.

PROPANE

My Tiny Perch’s propane gas needs are VERY simple. I need a
gas line for the hot water heater and one for the stovetop in the kitchen, just
inside the front wall. Normally, I wouldn’t advise installing black gas pipe
yourself either but I happen to have a pressure meter, bubbly water (to test
for leaks) and the design was so simple I simply couldn’t justify spending $700
to have it installed.

I read the installation guide for the heater to determine
the size of pipe I’d need, drew the plan on paper, measured the lengths I would
need, made a shopping list of parts (“T”’s and “Corners” and “Caps”, etc….) and
then had Home Depot cut everything to size. And, to be safe, I did have some
help with this project, someone who was there to bounce ideas off of. (or bring
me to my senses, if need be)

Black Pipe Installed? Check!

Once the lines were installed, and the test valve was
installed at the entry point, I applied air pressure via the compressor and…..the
lines held! No pressure was lost. (Caps were placed on all the ends at this
point)

ELECTRICITY

Electricity freaks me out. Although it is likely that, for
my next build, I’ll be pulling the lines myself rather than just designing the system
and directing the install; electricity also needs a professional installation
or inspection. In order to save money, I have been hiring people who know what
to do; and then hiring licensed pros to inspect the work that was done. And,
this has worked well. As a matter of fact, except for one incident involving
someone I hired who installed some fixtures incorrectly, this “plan” was
perfect.

When moving short distances, no protection is required for the heater.

And fear, for the record, is a very very good thing. Fear
makes sure that you either 1) don’t do that stupid thing you shouldn’t, or 2) that
you take a looong time to consider the consequences and train yourself thoroughly,
or 3) that you hire someone else, or 4) that you don’t do it at all.

For me, my fear meant I did both 2 AND 3.

INSTALLATION

Due to a boom in construction right now; finding someone to
install a hot water heater takes a long time. Luckily, I have “a guy” who did
my last one (and still returns my calls) but even he took over 6 weeks to find
a spot in his schedule for my 30 minute install.

The vent outlet is as far from the window, and eaves, as possible!

Cost wise, it also cost MORE for the installation than the
heater itself but I also asked him to add a source line heater to ensure that
the hot water heater does not freeze and burst in freezing temps. This is an
affordable way to prevent a LOT of heartache and has already proven to be a
perfect way to protect my investment for my first one.

There is also one thing I don’t do during the installation
that I do need to comment on. Yes, I know that hot water heaters are not
pretty. Yes, I know they take away from the esthetic of your cute, little, tiny
house. But don’t, please, try to build them in a box and then try to figure out
how to vent them. Mine are not designed to be vented through a vent pipe, and
my installer said ALL of the problems he has seen with external models similar
to mine are caused by someone who built them into a box.

FINAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SYSTEM

With so many contributing factors, turning on the hot water
for the first time may not result in the hot shower you envisioned.When we finally got all of the ducks in a
row, once all lines were leak tested, and once the tiny house was moved, and
the local water lines were installed; my first test resulted in barely warm
water. Ugh!

I love this entry view.

After hearing mix reviews of the Eccotemp heater I chose, I
was nervous. I assumed that the dissatisfaction that others had experienced was
due to improper product selection (not enough gallons per minute flowing) or improper installation. (Gas leaks, crossed wires,
DIY install, problematic gas regulator, etc….) And, in the end, I was right.

My shower faucet has a small disc that sits on the inside of
the handle assembly and can be adjusted to provide more or less hot water for
the shower. Once I quietly considered all that could go wrong, and discovered
then adjusted the faucet,the
only-warm-water-problem was fixed and all my nervous energy and time and investment
and optimism was rewarded!

Now THAT is a beatiful hot water delivery set up!

MY CHOICE

The Eccotemp Model 45-H really was the perfect choice for this
build.It’s an affordable and reliable
provider of endless streams of hot water that will only run out if your propane
does. It has an adjustable thermostat, and an easy-to-understand operations
manual.

Stats!

I may not have looked any further than my “externally vented
hot water heater” internet source would take me, but I’m VERY glad I found such
an efficient solution. I highly recommend Eccotemp heaters and, specifically,
externally vented models for tiny houses.

Whenever I see a social media post about hot water heaters,
it makes my heart proud to tell my story about how BOTH of mine are awesome AND
freeze proof!